"Shri UR Ananthamurthy's demise is a loss to Kannada literature. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted.

The 82-year-old Kannada writer, who received the Jnanpith award in 1994 and Padma Bhushan in 1998, had hit the headlines a few months before the last Lok Sabha polls when he said he would leave the country if Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister.

However, after Modi became the Prime Minister, he did a U-turn, saying the remark was made when he was overcome by emotion.